Too Busy for a Bumblebee
by Loco the Exclaimer
Summary: G1. Skyfire is extremely busy, and doesn't envision himself leaving his office for a good long while. But then again, he didn't envision a bored child paying him a visit either. Skyfire and Bumblebee, pre-show.


**Too Busy for a Bumblebee**

_Loco Exclaimer_

X.x.X.x.X

_A/N: This fanfiction in inspired by, references, and is in many ways set in the same universe as the amazing atlas*white's "The Angel's Smile". While I do recommend reading it, as it is a fantastic fanfiction, it isn't necessary to understand what's going on. All you really need to know is that this is set when Bumblebee is very young, and that the little fellow is still recovering from an illness he suffered as a baby._

X.x.X.x.X

Skyfire had been busy enough today. It seemed like everyone and their brother needed something or another from the aircraft carrier, be it moving heavy loads, access to his data, just seeing if he knew where Prowl or Perceptor or someone else was, or, as of now, handing over a towering pile of paperwork.

Sighing, he thanked the mech who had brought the next several hours of his life and took the hefty stack. Even to him it was large. He laid the pile on his desk, careful that it didn't lean or fall over, and sat down, stretching his legs and arms as he did. He wouldn't be getting up for a good while.

Or so he thought, anyway.

Down the hall, a little yellow distraction was running along with all the energy of any other child his age, bored and looking for something to do. Optimus Prime was busy and so was Jazz; Blaster was nowhere to be found and Prowl was addressing a few soldiers in training, best not disturbed. Everyone Bumblebee had thought to find was either busy or somewhere outside the base, and he wasn't allowed to go outside alone.

Curious, the youngling peered into one of the opened doors as he walked. There was a sturdy-looking desk with a swiveling chair behind it, a sculpture that wound up the far wall, and a bookcase that was almost full, but no one was inside. He backed away and checked the next door, to be met with almost the same results.

The next door was shut. A simple metal slab hung on it, with the word '_Skyfire_' engraved on the surface.

A grin spread across the youth's faceplate. Standing on the tips of his peds, he reached for the door handle – but his cheerful grin quickly turned to a frustrated pout as the handle proved to high up for him to reach.

Bumblebee let his peds fall flat on the floor. The frown he carried made the subtle switch from frustration to determination, and he went back to the first door he'd checked. He pushed the door open and made a beeline for the chair. Hopeful that his idea would work, he ran around the edge of the desk and bent to inspect the leg of the chair.

A quick look confirmed his suspicions. Little silver wheels lined up along the bottom, making it light and easy to move even for a small mech like him. Pleased, Bumblebee pushed it through the door and out into the hall.

He propped it up against the wall, two doors down, and, with some effort, climbed onto the seat. There, manners finally caught up to him, and he sheepishly paused to knock.

A few moments passed. Bumblebee was growing slightly impatient when the reply came from within: "Door's unlocked."

He grabbed the handle and pulled it. It was one of the most old-fashioned doors in the base, sliding side to side – then again, the mech inside was old-fashioned himself. Most of the rooms had automatic doors, some with keypads that were locked either with energy scans or a passcode.

It took a bit of effort, but the door finally slid open. Bumblebee hopped down onto the floor as it did. The chair slid out from underneath him as he moved, rolling back into the hallway. Ignoring that minor detail, the eager young sparkling hurried over to Skyfire's desk, where the towering mech was looking around confusedly for the person who had just entered his relatively small office.

"Heya, Skyfire!" He greeted enthusiastically.

The mech in question blinked, then peered over the edge of the desk, his confused expression turning into an amused one.

"Hello there, little one," he returned the greeting. Of course, he was always happy to see the Prime's young son – who wasn't? The sweet child often came to visit those around the base, and could make even Huffer or Prowl smile. He was almost like the entire base's nephew. "You look well today."

"Uh-huh, thanks. Ratchet says I'm still getting better, though." Bumblebee acknowledged with a smile. Today really did seem to be one of his better days, if he had come all the way to Skyfire's office on his own.

The large white mech gestured with one hand, and Bumblebee came around the side of the desk to him. He lifted the little mech up carefully onto the desk. "So then, what did you need?"

"Well, I was just kinda bored." Bumblebee explained, taking a seat next to the pile of paperwork. The child paid it little mind, but instead looked up at Skyfire with big, hopeful optics, a small smile sitting unsure on his faceplate. "An' Optimus an' Jazz an' everyone else 're all busy. So I was just wonderin' if you were too busy to take me flying."

Skyfire scratched the back of his helm with one servo, looking down at the child while holding back the beginnings of a frown. How was he supposed to escape all this work? If he took a break now, he'd be up half the night trying to catch up! And tomorrow, he was supposed to meet up with a few other scientists to discuss an important expedition they were planning. He really hoped he would be chosen to go, and he had to be well-rested and ready for the meeting.

Unfortunately, when he opened his mouth to try to convey this to Bumblebee, the youngling stopped him with another word, almost as an afterthought.

"Please?" And the larger mech's resolve completely melted.

"Well…" He said, reconsidering. Bumblebee clasped his hands together as an added measure – the action brushed lightly against the already unsteady pile of paperwork. Skyfire's servos shot out towards the datapads. The small yellow mech yelped and hopped out of the way, only to slide off the edge of the desk.

He landed with a thud in Skyfire's outstretched servos. The datapads, momentarily forgotten by the concerned jet, lay scattered across the floor. Skyfire pulled Bumblebee back over to himself.

"Are you alright, Bumblebee?" He asked worriedly.

Bumblebee nodded sheepishly, looking down at the scattered datapads. Awkwardly shuffling his ped, he mumbled almost indiscernibly, "sorry, Skyfire."

Skyfire let a deep sigh escape his vents, before smiling down at the upset sparkling. "It's alright. You didn't mean it."

"Yeah. Thanks," Bumblebee replied, his sheepish frown quickly becoming a sheepish smile.

Skyfire set Bumblebee down on the floor, surveying the mess. "It's alright. Now, could you help me pick up this mess? If you get them off the floor, I'll put them back in order. Deal?"

"'Kay!" The child agreed, mood considerably brightened. All traces of embarrassment forgotten, he began to hurry back and forth on the floor, grabbing little armfuls of the datapads. They were huge in comparison to his little body.

It was really very cute, Skyfire noted, smiling softly. He watched Bumblebee carefully lest he strain himself too much. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the child was pausing every few steps, panting in an attempt to catch his breath. However, Skyfire knew that if he tried to offer help, he'd receive a stubborn refusal from the sickly child.

Instead, he scooped Bumblebee off the ground with one servo. "So, what was it you wanted again? Flying somewhere?"

Bumblebee yelped, startled, as he was lifted off the floor. "Oh! Um, yeah…" Of course, he now seemed oddly shy about the request that he'd presented so brazenly only a few moments before. Typical of a sparkling. "But I guess you're busy, huh?"

With a slightly regretful glance down at the scattered datapads, Skyfire smiled and shook his helm. "No. No, I'm not too busy. Who could ever be too busy for such a brave and noble little warrior? Come on, little guy."

The paperwork could always wait until the middle of the night, he supposed. The child gave an excited squeak as Skyfire cradled him against his chassis and stood.

"Right! The bravest! And the noblest!" He announced proudly once he'd gotten his balance in the other mech's massive servos.

"You're going to be just like Optimus Prime when you're older, you know that?" Skyfire added, using his digit to prop up his little passenger. Holding Bumblebee high, he strode out the door and continued, "just as big. Even bigger! Not to mention, a great leader."

Bumblebee giggled. "Aw, shucks. Really?"

"Yep." He stopped abruptly; Bumblebee, caught off-guard, stumbled slightly, and Skyfire tilted his hand to help the little yellow mech regain his balance.

"What? Why'd you stop?" The child asked, peering over the edge of Skyfire's digits.

"Someone left a chair in the middle of the hall," Skyfire replied, puzzled. "I probably ought to put it back. What if someone comes running through here and can't stop themselves before they run into it?"

The sheepishness quickly returned to Bumblebee's faceplate. Understanding dawned on Skyfire as he looked down at him, and he patted the young mech's helm with one digit.

"That's alright, though. I'm sure whoever did it didn't mean it, right?" He raised an optic ridge.

"Yeah?" Bumblebee nervously twiddled his digits.

"But that person should clean up after himself next time, shouldn't he?"

"Yeah, he should. He prob'ly will." He shuffled his peds. Skyfire smiled softly at him.

"Then it's perfectly alright. He won't be in any trouble." Bumblebee brightened again. Skyfire took the edge of the chair in one servo, and rolled it to the open door it presumably belonged to. Sure enough, there was a desk within that had no match, and a few spilled knick-knacks from someone messing around nearby. Still holding Bumblebee carefully, he rolled the chair back into its rightful place. Well, that was one problem out of the way.

He lifted his other servo back up to the one that held Bumblebee, who was now staring at the ground. Suddenly his passenger seemed amazed by how high up he was, staring at the ground as soon as he noticed it going by far below. Skyfire began walking again, and Bumblebee seemed fascinated by that too – his strides were much longer as well, his one amounting to many of Bumblebee's. They were at the end of the hall in only a few steps.

He heard Bumblebee mutter "whoa…" or something like it. Clearly he'd already forgotten about his little mistake.

The younger bot seemed to enjoy the walk there as much as anything, and was disappointed when Skyfire stopped outside. Until, of course, he looked up at the sky.

"Ready?" The white mech asked, tensing his wings and limbs. It felt good to be out of the base. Scattered paperwork and worrisome meetings were forgotten. He held Bumblebee close to his chassis; takeoff and landing were the roughest parts of flying for him, and he didn't want to jar the child – or worse, let him fall.

"Ready," Bumblebee whispered in awe.

"Going up." He leapt into the air, and the next thing Bumblebee knew, they were being propelled off the ground, with an amount of force that nearly knocked him off his peds. It would have, had Skyfire not been holding him so close. He yelped, drawing himself back into a ball.

Skyfire noticed, and laughed deeply. The sound echoed, even over the sound of his jets.

"Look. Don't cover your optics, you'll miss the best part!"

Hesitantly, Bumblebee peered out. As soon as he did, his fear left him, and he stared out in awe. The sky spread itself out beautifully, the ground seeming distant already to the tiny mech. "Whoa..." he murmured again. After a moment, though, his reverent awe turned to excited giggles.

There went the night's sleep, Skyfire supposed, shaking his helm. But no one could say no to the sweet, excitable child.

He chuckled. Of course he was always busy, but who was ever too busy for Bumblebee?


End file.
